Professors' Lives
by wolfbane1
Summary: OC is teaching alongside Lupin at Hogwarts. Set about 7 years after the end of book 7, and a lot has happened in the intervening years. Please R&R CHAP 8 NOW ADDED
1. Letters and Choices

Bethany opened a parchment envelope, sealed with the familiar seal.  
  
"Dear Miss Wilson, We are pleased to inform you."  
  
With a smile on her face she put the letter down. This was it, she was going. In one month's time she'd be at Hogwart's, for the second time round.  
  
Fifteen years previously, she had received a letter with the same seal, with the same opening words. Her mother's concerned face when she took Bethany to the garden to talk about the contents of the letter came to mind as Bethany thought of the original letter. Her mother knew all about Hogwart's, she received her own letter on her eleventh birthday, but had chosen not to go. Like many of her female ancestors, Bethany's mother had to make her own decision. Muggle or Witch? And also like many of their ancestors, her mother chose muggle.  
  
Mrs Wilson had known for eleven years that this moment would come. The moment the doctors had said "It's a girl!", she started to plan this moment in her mind. As Bethany began to grow up, she was fascinated by the world of magic, although as far as she was concerned it was contained in the world of make-believe. She was marked out as an "odd child" all the way through her early years. Clearly intelligent, but definitely odd. Her teachers at school hadn't felt it was natural for a child her age to always have her nose in a book. So, it was with great apprehension that her mother waited for Bethany's eleventh birthday.  
  
That morning, her mother collected the post. When Bethany came tearing into the kitchen, she was confronted by the sight of her mother sat quietly, alone, at the table with a thick parchment envelope in front of her.  
  
"Would you follow me to the garden, please Bethy?"  
  
With a silent nod, Bethany followed her mother to the garden. Her mother sat on the bench in the herb garden, with the parchment envelope resting in her lap.  
  
"What's wrong mum? What's happened?" Bethany had never seen her mother looking so anxious. Something had happened. Was dad alright? What about her brother? Granma?  
  
"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart. But it's time to tell you about your true family history.  
  
"I know you used to believe strongly in magic, not the conjuring and sleight of hand, but witches and faeries. I also know you still want to believe it is true. So perhaps this won't be so difficult for you to believe as it was for me on my eleventh birthday. Magic IS real. It's not some wonderful idea that makes stories more interesting, it exists. There is an entire community of witches and wizards, living alongside the non- magic people. And there's a special school, a magic school. Which you've been accepted to." She handed Bethany the parchment envelope from her lap.  
  
Tearing open the envelope, Bethany stared in amazement at what she now held in her hands. She was a witch, this was so great! But why was her mother so concerned? Why weren't dad and Jake included in this little chat?  
  
"So, magic is real and I'm a witch. Sounds good so far, so why the long face mum?"  
  
"This is where the family history comes in," she couldn't bring herself to look Bethany in the face. How was she going to cope with this? "Up until about two hundred years ago, every member of our family attended Hogwart's. We are descended from one of the strongest lines of pure wizard-blood. Until Phoebe. She was the youngest daughter, spoilt rotten according to family legend. Like the rest of her family she attended Hogwart's, she graduated, then she fell in love. With a man who wasn't a wizard. A muggle.  
  
"Her father wasn't going to have it. His favourite little girl wasn't going to marry some lowly muggle. She was going to marry a fine, upstanding member of the wizard community. Someone with Pureblood, like her. Phoebe had no intention of obeying her father. She didn't pay any attention to his threats, she was his favourite. he wouldn't really disown her. But he did. Phoebe was cast out of the family. Her wand was broken, her money taken away. She was a poor woman for the first time ever. And she was forbidden to do magic. This time her father's threat was heard. But she had a husband she loved, and started to make a name for herself as an herbalist and healer. For most of her life as a muggle, she ran an apothecary shop in London.  
  
"In time she had children. First came a son, then a daughter two years later. As her son's eleventh birthday approached, Phoebe grew nervous. How was she going to explain this mysterious letter turning up? His birthday came and went. No letter arrived. Relaxing, Phoebe stopped worrying. Until she picked up a parchment letter addressed to her daughter, with that familiar seal. You see, something happened when she was disowned. The magic could only flow through the female line. No son produced has ever received a letter, and no offspring of the sons have received letters. You have a clear matrilineal to Phoebe. This is why you have the letter.  
  
"But, you don't have to go. In the last two hundred years, only three of the women to receive letters has chosen to go. The last one was your great grandmother. The rest of us didn't go for various reasons: fear of change, fear of our fathers, disbelief, and - especially for the generations close to Phoebe - feelings of dishonour and humiliation at Phoebe's actions.  
  
"But it's your call. Your father knows we're having this chat, that's why he took Jake to collect the last bits for your party. No-one will judge you for deciding either way. Take your time, give it some thought."  
  
"I don't need to think about it," Bethany interrupted her mother. "I want to go."  
  
Bethany's mother left her sat in the garden to think about her decision. Her mother had insisted on Bethany not making her final decision until the next morning, giving her plenty of time to try to understand what she would be leaving behind her if she chose to go. Looking around the herb garden, Bethany suddenly felt more alive than she had done in her short life.  
  
Her birthday party went off without a hitch. Her friends from school were there, as were a handful of her brother's friends. There was just over a year between Bethany and her big brother, making them much closer than most siblings at that age. Bethany's friends were fun, but she didn't have much in common with them. It was clear to her that they weren't going to be friends for life no matter what choice she made. Jake on the other hand, was more of a best friend than a brother. Bethany desperately wanted to talk to him about her news, but her mother had been very clear that this couldn't be discussed in front of their friends. For the first time ever, Bethany found herself wishing her party would end.  
  
It was late once the clearing up had been finished after the party was over. Mrs Wilson wasn't overly concerned about her children going to bed early, as tomorrow was Sunday. She was well aware that Bethany would want to talk to Jake, something she was completely in favour of. Jake knew that Bethany had been offered a place at a school in Scotland and that it was her decision as to whether or not she went. Their mother hadn't told him exactly what kind of school it was, that was another choice for her little girl to make. Mrs Wilson couldn't help feel that Bethany was too young to make these decisions, but there was no-one else who could make them for her.  
  
"Jake! Can I have a word with you?"  
  
"What is it sis? I'm shattered and need to get to bed soon" Jake stifled a yawn as he turned towards his sister.  
  
"It's about this school that's accepted me. The one in Scotland. I want your advice." Bethany still hadn't decided whether to tell him the type of school it was. The idea of keeping anything from him seemed wrong, but how would he cope?  
  
"Mum said something about that. I'm not sure I can be of much help though, it's just a case of do you want to leave us behind, isn't it?"  
  
Bethany decided to bite the bullet and tell him the whole story. She told him what had happened that morning, the letter, the family history, everything. He sat in shocked silence while hearing things he would never have believed before. Part of him felt that this had to be a joke, but he knew his little sister too well to really believe that. When Bethany finished, Jake continued to sit in silence.  
  
"Hmmm, I think I get why it's such a big deal if you go or not. This is way too major to flip a coin for or something." Bethany watched her brother's face go through a range of emotions, before finally settling into the natural expression of her loving brother. "If you change your mind about being a witch, can you pack it in and become a, what was it, nubble?"  
  
Bethany grinned at her brother's mistake, it was already starting to feel like her world. "It's muggle, you donkey. And yeah, I think I can. If Phoebe could I ought to be able to. But I can't do it the other way round. Mum's said that she can make small things move by thinking about it, but nothing else. I'm not sure I could be happy knowing that I might have been able to learn all this amazing stuff and turned the opportunity down. If I decide not to go, then I've missed out on it forever."  
  
"Sounds like you've made your decision then. Accept the place, if you hate it come home and we can pretend it never happened. But if you love it then we'll have a proper witch in the family. Either way, you'll still have me as a brother. that's something you can't change!"  
  
And so Bethany accepted the place at Hogwarts, with the blessing of her family and the knowledge that she could quit whenever she wanted. But Bethany couldn't see that happening, especially after she started reading her schools books and visited Diagon Alley, the main magical shopping area hidden in central London. Her mother felt small pangs of jealousy that her little girl was going to get to experience this world in its entirety, something she now could never do. But those decisions had all been made a long time ago. 


	2. Memories

Feeling nostalgic after reading her new letter, Bethany searched the attic for her old photo albums. In the months before she'd started at Hogwart's, her mother and grandmother had presented her with the old family photos, journals, even ageing textbooks and scrolls of work. Her heritage. Over that summer, and every summer since, the photos had been catalogued and put neatly into decorative albums. Over the last fifteen years, Bethany had successfully pieced together her family tree, using the pieces given to her that summer. And every summer there were more photos to add, those of her and her friends. Her holidays, her graduation, her training. but then there was a long period of nothing. A gap in the pictorial history that covered nearly three years. The thought of that time still made her shudder, it was something she had no desire to repeat, not even something she'd wish on her worst enemy. Well, maybe there was one exception ... but only when she was having a particularly bad day.  
  
Here were the photos of her in her first robes, with the Hogwart's shield on them, before getting on the train for the first time. There were photos she'd taken through her first terms at Hogwart's. The photos of her first Christmas as a Witch, mum had insisted on taking pictures of her in her robes. Her house robes. Her Slytherin robes. She still wondered whether the Hat had made a mistake. She didn't belong in Slytherin, but then when she was that age, she didn't really belong anywhere. Out of all the photos taken at Hogwart's, there were none of her, either alone or with friends. Friends were something she didn't really have. People tolerated her. She was clever, but Defence Against The Dark Arts was her speciality. Potions was clearly not her strongest subject, but she kept her head down and worked hard to pass. It was only because she was a Slytherin that Snape never really picked on her for her lack of aptitude at his precious subject. He had better targets. The Three: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. For she was in their year. But no-one ever noticed her. She never made Prefect, or Head-Girl. She never made the Quidditch team - mainly due to having such poor balance on a broom that the vicious Draco Malfoy joked that she made the accident-prone Neville Longbottom look like a star player. She just was. For seven years.  
  
Seven years can be a long time when people don't know you exist. Most days she felt like she had on an invisibility cloak, but didn't know. People would bump into her without noticing. Shut doors in her face because they didn't see her. Whoever said that your schooldays were the happiest days of your life clearly hadn't been talking to her. He'd been talking to The Three. They made Bethany feel sick. Always having adventures, always the centre of attention, always there, and seen. When the Tri-Wizard Tournament happened in her fourth year, she wanted to enter. Just on the off-chance she'd be accepted, so people would finally have to notice her. But she was too young. But then so was Harry. But that was a different story. Things like that always happened to him. She didn't stay at Hogwart's that Christmas, even though it was the Yule Ball. Bethany really couldn't bear the idea of going to that alone. Or worse still, with Malfoy's stupid and ugly henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. So she went home. But despite being continually ignored, Bethany never felt that quitting was an option. She enjoyed her lessons, and as she spent all of her free time either in the library or reading in her common room, she never fully felt alone. Especially as her mother bought her a cat in her first year at Hogwarts.  
  
It was during the fourth year that something interesting started to happen to her. While retreating into her shell even more, she started to think. Not normal thoughts, but thoughts about the Dark Arts. By being in Slytherin she had the pleasure of hearing Malfoy, and the all the others like him, brag about their families involvements with the Dark Arts, with the evil Lord Voldemort, and how they escaped Azkaban prison. She spent months during that year building up the courage to talk to Malfoy, she wanted to learn what he knew about the Arts. But when she managed to ask him, he laughed. Loudly and cruelly, in front of the entire house.  
  
"Did you all hear that? This MUDBLOOD wants ME to teach her the Dark Arts! This freak, this freak who doesn't even belong in this house. This thing from a disgraced family. The Hat clearly got you wrong. There's nothing in you that Slytherin would have looked for. You're an insult to his memory, if I were Snape."  
  
Bethany didn't wait to hear what he would do, she ran from the room. She promptly burst into tears once past the portrait. How she got to Professor Moody's office she wasn't sure, but she was surprised when her Defence Against the Dark Arts professor opened the door and offered her a cup of tea. When she had calmed down enough to talk without crying, Moody asked what was wrong. She gave him the general gist of what Malfoy had said. She wasn't going to admit to him, the most famous Auror, that she'd wanted to learn the Dark Arts. 'Mad eye' Moody had made a reputation for himself by filling a large number of the cells in Azkaban with Dark Wizards. In the process he had lost a leg, become so riddled with scars that he looked like a poorly assembled jigsaw puzzle, and had also lost an eye. Instead of a plain glass eye, Moody wore a magical eye, which had the power to allow him to see through any solid matter in any direction, regardless of where his other eye was looking.  
  
Bethany told him everything, how Malfoy insulted her, all the things that he'd been boasting about over the last couple of years. All that the others had been boasting about. Every last piece of information she'd ever heard in that cursed common room. Once she started talking, the words simply fell from her mouth in a ceaseless stream. While Bethany talked, Moody listened. When she finally finished he stared at her. With both eyes. Bethany, meanwhile, couldn't keep her eyes off the missing chunk of his nose. Finally,  
  
"Now this is a strange situation."  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"I've already noticed two who would make good Aurors in your year. It looks like I've just found a third. Have you given it any thought as a career?" The magical eye moved away from Bethany and began looking around wildly again.  
  
Bethany looked stunned. "But I'm in Slytherin. Doesn't that mean that I'm destined to join the Dark Side? How can I be an Auror?"  
  
Moody's face contorted into what Bethany assumed was a smile. "Salazar Slytherin was a strange one, but he didn't tell that Hat to look for evil. He told the Hat to look for characteristics. And I've seen strong evidence of one of them tonight. You're a very bright child, you will have a strong future in front of you. Now if you don't mind, I do believe Professor Snape is outside the door wanting to talk to you."  
  
Sure enough, Moody had been right. Snape wanted to know what she had done to Malfoy. It turned out that the little toad had got Crabbe and Goyle to jinx him, so that they could blame her. the disgraced mudblood. Snape gave her detention, cleaning the cauldrons in the Potions lab. That she took quietly. What made her blood boil was Malfoy. The way he sneered at her, laughed at her. It was better when no-one knew who she was. She wanted him to be thrown in Azkaban, with his family and slimy creeps of friends. And she wanted to be the one to put him there.  
  
Part of her wish came true the following year, when Malfoy's father was caught with the parents of many of the others in her house. The Dark Lord had risen again and there was a confrontation with the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, and that blasted Potter boy and friends. Bethany was torn between contempt at Harry and elation that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle's parents were all going to Azkaban. Malfoy had left her alone that year, having appeared to forget about his campaign of misery from the year before. By the end of the year, she was intent on keeping out of his way in case he remembered about her and started again.  
  
The clock in the hall chimed three o'clock making Bethany jump. She had things to do. People she needed to contact, supplies to buy. Throwing the photo albums back in their trunk, she climbed back out of the attic. As she put on her robes and applied her make-up, she thought about what Moody had said to her all those years ago. Even though it wasn't the real Moody, merely an impostor in his place, he had been right about her. The Hat looked for characteristics, and she definitely had one of them. Smiling, she took a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the fire. 


	3. Reacquainted

Bethany stepped into Diagon Alley with the smile still on her face. All around her were witches and wizards bustling round. Here and there she could see people she recognised from school, but didn't bother to say hello to them. They'd never remember her. There were children running round, carrying parcels, and wearing large grins. Bethany was prepared to lay money on these children being the newest additions to Hogwart's in September.  
  
Walking towards Gringott's Bank, Bethany ran her shopping list through her mind, trying to work out how much money she'd need. But all thoughts were thrown out of her head when she saw an old friend.  
  
"Lupin!! I had no idea you were back in England!"  
  
"Bethy, you look stunning!" Lupin gave a long sweeping bow and planted a wet kiss on her hand.  
  
"Yuk! Was all that slobber really necessary?!" Bethany grabbed Lupin's robe and wiped her hand dry on it. "Now, give me a hug, you daft bugger!"  
  
Lupin accompanied Bethany into Gringott's - company she was grateful for, even after all these years the goblins who ran the bank still gave her the creeps - and then they wandered around Diagon Alley together, each purchasing what they had gone there for. Lupin was about to head back to The Leaky Cauldron, when Bethany held him back.  
  
"I still need some things. From Knockturn Alley. Would you come with me, it's getting late and I don't want to be alone down there after dark?"  
  
"And you were training to be an Auror? How on earth did a big scaredy-cat like you make it?" Lupin's grin faded as Bethany suddenly looked drawn and empty. "Oh, hun! Baby? You know I was joking. I'm sorry, truly." Lupin's voice trailed off into nothing. The tears that had started to form in Bethany's eyes were rolling down her face, to her obvious irritation.  
  
"I'm fine Remus, really," she wiped her face with her sleeve and swore quietly. "It's just that I've not thought about it for a while, and I now have makeup down my face and on my robes. Looks like we're going to the pub so I can fix my face!"  
  
Colour returned to Lupin's face at the evidence of Bethany being alright. In a total state of misery she never cared about her makeup or robes. She was going to be fine. With a shared grin, the pair linked arms and strolled back down towards The Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Two hours later, Bethany and Lupin were both feeling well fed and were enjoying large tankards of mead. The conversation had covered a wide range of subjects, from the new racing brooms, to what happened to their old friends, and enemies. Bethany was telling Lupin what had happened in the last two years, as he had been out of touch while he was abroad.  
  
"Did you hear about that little snake Draco? Oh my gods, you're gonna love this. The stupid little creep wasn't quite right in the head after his father was given the Kiss - not that he was right to start with! Anyway, he was trying to create a potion of some kind - we never found out what he was attempting - and it all went horribly wrong. He near enough blew himself to bits! He's been in St Mungo's for the last year, they still haven't finished putting him back together and, according to Neville, they might not. Apparently, he refuses to tell anyone what he was using, so no- one can completely counter it. Then, there's Pansy."  
  
"Hang on Bethy," Lupin interrupted her in mid-flow of gossip, an act he knew from previous experience could be dangerous. Bethany stopped mid- sentence looking less than amused. "Tell, me about Neville. I want to hear about the people I care for first, then we can have a laugh at the expense of others."  
  
Bethany's face creased into an easy smile, and with a slight nod she changed her story telling angle. "Fair enough. Neville is now a fully qualified healer at St Mungo's. You know he was always really good with Herbology, and it turned out that it was Snape that made him useless at Potions. Neville's being tipped to be running the place in a couple of years, his Grandmother's so proud. I saw her in February and all she could do was praise him. She's even saying that he's achieved as much if not more than his father - I thought Neville was going to explode himself at that one! And Ginny's just given birth to their second child, a little girl called Rosie. we should try to visit them while we're in London.  
  
"I doubt there's anything I can tell you about Harry, Hermione and Ron you don't know. Ron's playing Keeper for Puddlemere United. Hermione and Harry are still with the Order, and running round being Aurors the rest of the time. Hermione's currently dating Justin - the guy Harry set the snake on in the second year? - we'll see how long this one lasts! Harry, well he keeps saying he's happy on his own, but I know he's jealous of Neville. And probably Ron soon as well. Please tell me they've told you this, but Ron finally proposed to Luna."  
  
"You're right, I knew all of that. There have been no new developments with any of them then? Have you told them about your new job yet?"  
  
"No new develop. hey, who told you about my job? I only found out officially myself this morning."  
  
"I can't reveal my sources. wait, wait," Bethany had launched herself on top of Lupin and was attempting to tickle the information out of him. "Dumbledore told me. He's been discussing it with me for months."  
  
Out of breath, Bethany sat back in her armchair. "Why was he talking to you about it? I mean, I'm pretty sure I know why he gave me the job. I'm sure my experiences and talent for the subject were all considered, but I think he basically wants to keep an eye on me. He knows I've been becoming a bit isolated recently, especially after I stopped going to counselling." Bethany couldn't bring herself to look Lupin in the eye after that confession, so she stared into the flames, the patterns the flames helping to clear her mind, as usual, and show her some answers.  
  
"Dumbledore told me you'd stopped going to the hospital, that's why he's asked me to return to Hogwart's as well. I'm going to be the second Defence teacher." Now it was Lupin's turn to stare into the flames. She was going to kill him for this.  
  
"No he didn't. He told you I was going to be there, and you asked if there was room for two Defence teachers. You're just too easy to read these days Lupin." Bethany looked up from the flames to look at Lupin. "It's fine. I'm glad you're going to be there with me, I could do with the company. But, I think that this is the time to go to bed, as Tom looks to be trying to get rid of us!"  
  
Lupin looked behind him, and sure enough there was Tom the barman, sat on a barstool looking very impatient with the two final customers between him and his bed. 


	4. Knockturn Alley

Bethany woke the next morning to find herself alone. Lupin had spent the night with her, curled up together as they had done so many times in the past. The sun was pouring through the small gap in the curtains, inviting her to crawl out of bed and spend the day outside. As she was considering getting out of bed, the door creaked open as Lupin strolled into the room.  
  
"You still in bed?! I've already been up for two hours, had breakfast and read today's paper. Speaking of breakfast, I guessed your tastes hadn't changed much." With that, he held out a bag for Bethany who took it with glee.  
  
"Remus, you're an angel!" she exclaimed, pulling out a pair of hot croissants which dripped butter over the bedding and her hands as she devoured the warm pastry. Lupin watched her eat with a vague smile on his face, he still knew her. He had been scared that his absence would have made their job together difficult, but it seemed as though nothing had changed. Except.  
  
"I need to get washed and dressed, so you are going to have to wait for me downstairs. Read the paper again if you have to, but you're not staying in here!" Her words had confirmed it. Lupin drifted down the stairs again, his mind fresh with the knowledge that this was how it had to be. They needed to be true friends now, and nothing could come between that.  
  
It was nearly another hour before Bethany bounced down the stairs. Lupin's annoyance at how long she was taking evaporated when she entered the room. She looked as she had down many years ago, while she was still training. Before she became ill. Her red curls should have clashed with her magenta robes, but they made her look healthy. As though she'd never stopped being that happy twenty year old. As though the last five years had never happened. He wished that was true, he really did.  
  
"Ready for some more shopping?" Bethany beamed at him. With a toothy grin he took her arm, and they walked into the sunshine.  
  
"It seems such a shame to spend a glorious day like this lurking in Knockturn Alley. Why don't we do something else instead?"  
  
"Lupin, I've only got a few things to get, we'll be out by lunchtime. I promise." Bethany made a play of batting her eyelashes at Lupin, forcing him to smile. "Anyway, I think it sounds like you're too scared to go there!"  
  
"You cheeky little.!" Lupin's smile broadened as he dodged a playful punch from Bethany. "Come on then you, let's get this shopping done."  
  
It only took Bethany an hour to gather the bits she needed. She had great difficulty finding a particular breed of cactus, but she was finally directed to Aculeus' Apothecary. Lupin looked nervous being this deep into the darkness, for no sunshine ever penetrated the lower levels of Knockturn Alley, which was never a popular place to be. While Bethany was apprehensive of where they were, she had to get this plant, and wasn't going home without it.  
  
"Good morning, I'm after a Gwichian Cactus. I was told you were the only shop likely to carry it." Bethany managed to keep her voice level and controlled while looking at the shop's proprietor, a tall and spiky-looking woman who stood a clear eight inches over Bethany. The candle light reflected off her shaved head, emphasising the plait of hair at the back which remained. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of black goggles.  
  
"Well, that's not a request we get everyday. The Gwichian Cactus isn't popular, or practical anymore. Could I perhaps suggest the Sgrechian Grass instead? It's just as effective, but less likely to attack when unprovoked. The Ministry isn't keen on households having the Gwichian, apparently it's causing problems with the muggles." Despite her startling appearance, her voice was gentle, helping to put Bethany more at ease.  
  
"I had several Sgrechian's until recently, unfortunately the Banhadlen killed it off." Bethany spoke with much more confidence now. "The Gwichian is the only thing hardy enough to fight back, and I need my house protected. And before you suggest it, the Banhadlen also has to stay."  
  
With the slightest movement, the shop keeper disappeared, returning moments later from a door on the other side of the room. She was wearing what appeared to be a chemical radiation suit, except it was made of dragon hide. Beckoning Bethany to follow her, she disappeared through the doorway again, this time carrying a large pair of tongs and a cage.  
  
Once her eyes had become accustomed to the gloom, Bethany could see that the woman was on the other side of a large piece of glass. In with the woman were an assortment of plants, all of them unpleasant looking and oozing menace towards everything. Bethany knew that her Gwichian Cactus was in there somewhere, but she couldn't see it. The woman was sliding effortlessly between the plants, pausing occasionally to look around. With one swift and decisive movement, she snatched up one of the plants with the tongs and placed it in the cage. Giving a quick thumbs up, she apparated beside Bethany.  
  
"One Gwichian. There are others in there if you would prefer a different one, but this one has managed to fend off everything that has tried to eat it, kill it, or just use it as a toilet!" The cage which now contained one very annoyed Gwichian was proffered to Bethany, who was still slightly bemused at the speed with which this small cactus had been caught.  
  
"This one will do just fine, thank you. Hey, I'm not gonna need one of those suits to get it home am I?!"  
  
"Suit? Oh, no, this is protection against some of the other plants in there. The Anfeidrol has poison darts that can kill in five seconds. At least by wearing the suit I stand a chance of getting out of there alive. If you're sure this one's fine, then I'll get it bundled up. If you could return to the front of the store."  
  
Bethany returned to find a nervous Lupin trying to keep his distance from the plants and other peculiar objects in the apothecary. He jumped when she placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Gods, it's only you! You made me jump. How'd it go back there? Get your cactus?"  
  
Before Bethany could answer, there was a popping noise and the shop keeper was once again behind the counter, with a well wrapped and carefully padded package.  
  
"Here's your Gwichian. Try not to drop it, or it may destroy the packaging. I have put an Unbreakable Charm on it, but I can't guarantee that that's much use against a provoked Gwichian. In addition," she reached under the counter, and produced another parcel, "this is a care package. It's got all the information on how to plant it, how to look after it and what to do if it runs amok. I still think you'd be better off with a Sgrechian, but if you've already tried them. Any problems, the contact details are on the pamphlet, ask for Lilith - that's me - I should be able to help you with almost anything."  
  
Bethany took hold of her new plant, feeling a lot more nervous than she had expected to. Although Lilith's eyes were hidden behind her goggles, her smile was genuine. Bethany couldn't help returning the smile, "If I need you, I'll yell." 


	5. Preparations

Bethany threw her gardening gloves onto the kitchen table and took a large glug out of a glass of water. Getting the garden straight was taking a lot more effort than she had first expected. She'd been home two weeks since her visit to Diagon Alley, and had been working on the garden the whole time. It had to be sorted before she went to Hogwarts, as the idea of spending all of next summer dealing with a jungle didn't appeal much to her. It wasn't far from a jungle six months ago when she first took the house on. It almost looked respectable now. At least you could now get to the far end of the garden without being attacked by an assortment of small yet nasty beasties. When Bethany first moved in, she'd had to contact the Ministry to send over a team of wizards from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Animals. There were too many things lurking in the garden, Bethany stood no chance of dealing with them all on her own. There was one bonus though, the gnomes who'd been living there had taken a hostage.  
  
Bethany and the Ministry wizards had been most confused to discover that the gnomes had been keeping a Kneazle, half-starved and half-crazed. The small, scrawny cat-like animal crept out of the burrow after all the gnomes had been captured. The Ministry wizards tried to take it with them to be treated at the Ministry, but the Kneazle took a liking to Bethany and nearly tore off a hand from one of the wizards when he tried to pick it up.  
  
It took nearly two months, twenty-odd charms, and a lot of discussions with the Ministry, but the Kneazle was finally given a clean bill of health and Bethany was issued a licence to keep the animal. For such a strongly independent species, this particular creature, now named Maeve, was fiercely defensive of Bethany.  
  
"Hey, less of the claws!" Bethany squealed as Maeve launched herself onto Bethany's shoulder. Picking her pet up round the middle, Bethany dropped into an armchair and let Maeve settle on her lap. Bethany let her mind wander as she played with Maeve's large ears. It was already mid-August, the house and garden had to be completely prepared for her upcoming absence. The newly acquired Gwichian cactus had been planted near the front gate almost as soon as Bethany had returned from London. It attempted to kill everyone and everything within its reach to begin with, but Bethany soon trained it out of that habit. Maeve was nervous of it still, but then it did try to attack her when she got too close. The Banhadlen bush had given up trying to kill off the cactus, and now merely hissed at it when there was nothing else for it to do. It was slowly resigning itself to no longer being the nastiest plant in the garden, although it was still doing a fantastic job of keeping all gnomes at bay. Bethany was feeling much happier about leaving her home for nearly a year, in the knowledge that if she had difficulty getting past her own plants then no stranger could get near the house. She knew that Maeve would be the best protector of the house, but Bethany couldn't face the idea of not having her company, especially as Dumbledore had given permission for her pet to come with her to school. With both Lupin and Maeve to look after her, Bethany knew she was not going to get lonely. But neither was she going to be able to get any time to herself.  
  
Bethany spent the rest of the afternoon battling with the overgrown mass outside. By dinner time she was scratched, dirty and worn out. She decided a quick bite to eat followed by a long soaky bath was the best plan for the evening. She was halfway through the kitchen door when Lupin's voice rang out through the kitchen.  
  
"Bethany? Bethy, you there?"  
  
Quickly moving into the kitchen, Bethany was surprised to see Lupin's face in the flames of her fireplace. "What's up, Remus? I wasn't expecting to hear from you until next week."  
  
"There's been a change of plans. I've just spoken to Dumbledore, and he's decided that as there are a lot of changes at Hogwarts this year, he wants all the professors up at Hogwarts a week early. So, I thought."  
  
"A week early?! But that means two days! I've still got so much to do, to get the house ready, I can't possibly get there early." Bethany exclaimed in an extremely panicky voice.  
  
"Well, as I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm all ready to go - comes from living out of a suitcase, you're always ready to move on quickly. So, I thought I could come over to yours this evening and help you finish off anything you need to. Then we could head up to Hogsmeade together. How's that sound?"  
  
"That sounds good, it would be great if you could help out. How come we're heading for Hogsmeade instead of the school? That's not normal is it?" Bethany calmed down considerably at the idea of getting some help.  
  
"Well, it's really uncomfortable with my head in this fireplace, so how about I tell you when I get there? Is it okay to apparate into the kitchen, or do you want me to ring the door bell first?"  
  
"Kitchen's fine, Remus, you know it is. I'll see you soon then." Lupin's head disappeared from the flames as Bethany finished her sentence.  
  
Within minutes there was a loud popping noise in front of the fireplace, and there stood Lupin, in his tattered robes with his trunk by his side. Bethany hugged him as Maeve looked on suspiciously.  
  
"It's good to see you again Bethy."  
  
"You might have changed your tune by next summer. You won't be able to get away from me for the next year, you sure you can handle that much of me?!" "I think I can manage. Anyhow, what needs doing? You said you had loads left to do. If you were lying." Lupin's voice trailed off into a smile. Bethany realised that she had genuinely missed him, she just hadn't been aware of how much easier life felt when Lupin was around. His manner made her believe that everything was right with the world and there was never any rush. This next year was going to be a good one.  
  
"Well, before I do anything else I need a bath. Then I think we should have some dinner while we discuss what to do next."  
  
"You want me to cook while you wash? It'll save some time."  
  
"Definite plan. Right I'll be back down in twenty or so." With that, Bethany disappeared upstairs. Lupin looked around the kitchen wondering where to start, when he set eyes on Maeve. The Kneazle was still sat watching him, not so much mistrusting him just not sure what to make. She could clearly smell his 'illness' and was being wary. Lupin smiled at the creature, and began looking for something to cook for dinner.  
  
By the time Bethany was out of the bath, Lupin had managed to cook sausages with roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding. Bethany sat opposite him at the table and began eating dinner like a starved animal.  
  
"Slow down Bethy, you'll get indigestion. I don't need you being sick on the way to Hogsmeade!"  
  
Bethany stopped her hurried eating, "Come on then, I know you're dying to tell me. Why Hogsmeade? I thought the professors turned up at Hogwarts a week before the students. Why does Dumbledore want us there early, as well?"  
  
"As far as I can tell, he has decided there should be a kind of meet-and- greet amongst the professors somewhere everyone already knows. He said something about neutral territory."  
  
"Snape?" Bethany queried.  
  
"Possibly, but I don't know. After his little, erm, accident he's not quite the same person - well, you should know about that one, what with you being there and all! No, I don't know what the old fool's playing at, but I'm sure he has very valid reasons. He always does. And anyway, it gives me an extra week to enjoy your company before we have to deal with the screaming brats, sorry, pupils"  
  
Bethany smirked at his final comment. She knew full well that Lupin loved teaching, having been one of his pupils once herself, but for some reason he felt that he always had to make it sound like a chore. But at least he had taught before. Bethany was getting very nervous now it was getting closer to her being called 'Professor', she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep a straight face when anyone treated her as an authority figure. She was also starting to worry about whether she was going to make as good a teacher as Lupin.  
  
The rest of the meal was finished with lighter conversation: how the cactus was coping, what Bethany had been doing in the garden, the things that she hoped to have finished before they set off the next day. Lupin was most interested to hear about the discovery, and recovery, of Maeve.  
  
"Hostage? The gnomes were keeping her hostage? That doesn't sound like a very gnome-like thing to do." Lupin couldn't quite believe what Bethany was telling him.  
  
"Well, she definitely came out of the gnomes burrow after the gnomes had gone, and she wasn't in a good way. We actually had a total nightmare getting rid of the gnomes, as they were all incredibly vicious from the start. Poor old Murphy - you know him, Tonks husband - got sent back to the Ministry with a huge hole in arm. One of the little buggers took a chunk out of him. We also found a dead Jarvey just inside the burrow, it'd been beaten to death. Now that definitely isn't typical gnome behaviour. The Ministry decided it would be safest if they took the gnomes back with them to have them put down. The last thing anyone needs right now is a pack of insanely vicious gnomes roaming the country, it could be difficult keeping it from the muggles. But I got a companion out of it, so I don't think it's all bad. She's just a bit jumpy around small creatures. She was nervous of potatoes for a while, guess they look too much like gnomes for her!"  
  
"Dumbledore's given you permission to bring her with you, hasn't he. How are you going to deal with the gnomes up at Hogwarts? She's going to want to go out exploring, it's in their nature."  
  
"I've got her a lead to put on her collar, she doesn't mind it. I've been taking her for walks after dark round the country lanes, so it shouldn't be a problem up at Hogwarts. I can't wait to see Filch's reaction to her, his face should be an absolute picture!" Like all Hogwarts' students, Bethany hadn't got on with the vindictive caretaker and his flea-ridden cat, Mrs Norris. While she'd never been in serious trouble with him, he always glared at her as though he was just waiting for her to start smashing the school to pieces. It was one of the few things that made her glad she wasn't friends with Potter, as Filch appeared to have a personal vendetta against him from day one - Filch recommended Harry's expulsion at the slightest hint of trouble, regardless of whether Harry had been anywhere near the scene.  
  
"Filch is still there? Ye gods, he must be almost useless by now. Has he still got that horrible cat?"  
  
"Mrs Norris died about two years after I left Hogwarts. One of the girls at the Ministry told me, she was a few years younger than me at school. Apparently Filch refused to come out of his office for nearly a month, even when Peeves barricaded all the staff and students in the Great Hall on Halloween."  
  
"What?" Lupin's eyes nearly popped out of his head with surprise, "Filch ignored an opportunity to get rid of Peeves? He must have been really distraught. Out of curiosity, just how did Peeves barricade the Great Hall? It's not like he could use magic."  
  
"Suits of armour. Martha said that he piled every suit of armour against the doors. Obviously, because it was Halloween, no-one took much notice of a poltergeist moving armour around all day, and then it was too late. I wish I'd been there to see it. They had to send Flitwick out of the hatchway to charm the blockage out of the way, but Peeves wouldn't let him near it so they got the Bloody Baron to talk to him. Well, I say talk to him," Bethany gave a wicked grin, "what's supposed to have happened is Nearly Headless Nick got the Baron, who then chased Peeves all around the castle threatening to give him a re-enactment of how he got his name. Scared seven shades of crap out of him, nearly left him a gibbering wreck. Peeves is back to his normal tricks now, unfortunately."  
  
Lupin was shaking with silent laughter at the idea of Peeves being chased by the Baron. It brought tears to his eyes as he thought of how comical it must have looked, especially if viewed on the Marauders' Map. As a thought suddenly struck him, he turned to Bethany, "Do you know if Harry still has the Marauders' Map? It would make life a lot more interesting over the next year if we could borrow it off him." Bethany shook her head in disbelief. "Honestly, I can see why you two get on so well. That was his first reaction when I told him I was going back to teach. It's already in my trunk, ready to go. Harry thought it would be good for me, as I never got to do anything like that while I was a student I might as well do it while I'm staff! And yes, before you ask, I have both invisibility cloaks. But we're not doing anything dangerous, I refuse to be a part of anything other than general mischief!"  
  
Bethany showed Lupin where the spare room was before turning in for the night herself. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and she didn't want anything to go wrong. Yawning widely, she turned off her light, and was asleep in minutes. 


	6. Hogsmeade

The next day was full of final preparations at Bethany's house. The plants were given a final dose of fertiliser to help them through the year, the furniture was covered over with dust sheets and protected with charms to keep moths and rodents from nibbling on her furniture. By sunset nearly everything had been completed. Maeve had become less suspicious of Lupin, although she wouldn't allow him to get too close to her.  
  
After dinner Bethany and Lupin settled down in front of the fire with mugs of tea as they discussed their travel arrangements for the next day. Lupin was teasing Bethany by suggesting that they flew the length of the country on broomsticks. He was well aware that Bethany had never mastered flying, even after hours of Harry and Ron trying to coach her. Every time she got more than two feet up, the broomstick would start shaking and her would lose her nerve, preferring to jump off then while there was no danger of broken bones. They were currently debating the only two options left to them: apparating and the train.  
  
"The train's going to take forever Lupin, I know you travelled that way when you last taught there but I just don't think it's practical. Can you imagine the two of us rattling around in that huge train on our own? It would be a ridiculous waste of time and energy for too many people to make it a viable method of travel. We have to apparate, it just makes so much more sense." Bethany was determined on this idea, she failed to see there being any advantages to taking the school's own train to Hogsmeade, it just seemed ridiculous. Lupin however,  
  
"I'm still not overly comfortable apparating, and before you start, yes I know I apparated here last night, but that was only from about twenty miles away. This is going over several hundred. What if I miss Hogsmeade altogether and land on top of the giant squid in the Hogwarts lake by mistake? Do you really want me to be human sushi?!"  
  
Lupin's discomfort at the use of this magical means of travel was more than understandable. For many years, Lupin was strongly discriminated against. His 'illness' that Maeve had scented made people very nervous, even though it was controllable. It had resulted in laws being passed that reduced him to a second-class citizen. He was more-or-less incapable of being employed anywhere decent for nearly all of his adult life, if it hadn't been for Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, Lupin would probably have disappeared completely a long time ago. As part of these laws, he was also forbidden from using many forms of magic, including apparating. He had personally felt that it was a miracle he was even allowed a wand. But these laws were revoked four years ago, when the nearest thing to a cure was discovered. The ghastly potion he had to drink several times every month was now a thing of the past, now he needed to get injected once a month instead. As far as he was concerned it was a much better option.  
  
Bethany was staring into the fire, trying to think of a solution that wouldn't cause any extra aggravation but would keep her friend happy. As the flames danced and crackled, the beginnings of an idea appeared in her head.  
  
"Lupin, we could always split the journey up. How far are you happy apparating in one go? Fifty miles? Sixty? We could split the distance into blocks that size, maybe find a country pub to have lunch at. Alternatively, there's the Knight Bus."  
  
Lupin shuddered at the idea of the Knight Bus, the double-decker bus that served the magical community. It's drivers had never understood the concept of a smooth journey, which resulted in being thrown around a lot during the journey. He had only travelled by the Knight Bus when there was no other method for him, now that he didn't need to set foot on it, he had no intention of doing so. Which brought him back to the only method left. Taking a deep breath he nodded his consent to Bethany's suggestion, knowing that she was actually right on this one.  
  
"We're going to have to work out where we're putting in our journey breaks then. I've got a map somewhere, give me a minute to look for it" Bethany heaved herself out of her large armchair and wandered into the kitchen. She returned minutes later with a large map of the country. Producing her wand from the recesses of her robe, Bethany tapped the map with the words "Locus Invenire". Small sparkling dots appeared on the map marking the locations of her home in the Sussex Weald, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade next to the school. Which a second tap of her wand, other areas began glittering, The location of Diagon Alley and other wizard shopping lanes appeared on her map, along with the homes of her wizarding friends. Lupin watched in interest as a silver glittery line appeared between Bethany's house and Hogsmeade.  
  
When no new dots appeared Bethany looked up at Lupin. "What size distances do you want to cover then? It's about 250 miles in total, so five blocks of fifty? Or four blocks of about sixty? Your choice on this one." Lupin looked at the map with apprehension, it didn't look like a long distance on paper, but he knew there was a lot that could go wrong apparating over such a large distance. Four journeys would be safe though, he was sure he could guarantee where he landed over that size distance. "Four blocks of sixty, I can cope with that."  
  
Bethany chewed the inside of her lip as she looked at the map. "Dividere Quattro", with another tap of her wand the silver line became red, blue, green and gold in four equal lengths. A small coloured dot appeared where the line changed colour, giving the location for apparating. Bethany glanced up at Lupin to see if he had any thoughts on the chosen locations. None of them were in large towns, unfortunately one was in the middle of the M1, and another appeared to be in a lake. Once more her wand was placed on the map, she placed the tip above a misplaced dot, and with a "Mobilius", she slid the dot to a more sensible location.  
  
Bethany and Lupin spent nearly a hour arranging the dots into locations that had few people. With all of the luggage that they were going to be taking with them, they would have great difficulty appearing from thin air anywhere that was populated. When they were unsure as to how discreet the location was, Bethany tapped the spot with the word "Populus", and a silver number would appear sparkling above the dot. Numbers under 600 were considered worth the chance. They had chosen their final route as the clock chimed eleven.  
  
"Memoria! Right, the map has our route saved. I think we should get to bed now and make a start tomorrow morning. We should be in Hogsmeade for lunch." Bethany rolled the map up again and put it by the front door with her travelling cloak.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Lupin woke to the smell of fried breakfast. He quickly threw his robes on and followed his nose to the kitchen where Bethany was stood over the stove cooking.  
  
"That smells perfect, Bethy. Exactly the right kind of food to travel on!" Lupin sat down at the table, as Bethany turned to grin at him.  
  
"I woke up before my alarm went off, and had a craving for a fry up. It'll keep us going for a while if nothing else, I think I may have cooked too much!"  
  
"Doesn't matter, I'm starving."  
  
After a very large fry up, which both Bethany and Lupin demolished in complete silence, Bethany set the dishes washing themselves as she finished her last minute pieces of packing. She and Lupin carried their trunks and Maeve's cage into the front garden, so that Bethany could perform the necessary charms to protect her house while she was away. Once the charms were complete, Bethany produced the map from the previous night.  
  
"Ok, you remember where we're headed first? Yeah? I'll see you there then" With a loud pop, Bethany disappeared with her trunks and Maeve. Lupin took a deep breath and followed her, leaving Bethany's house empty for the next nine months.  
  
Lupin and Bethany stopped for a while at the second place they stopped at. They were on the top of one of the hills in the Peak District and Bethany wanted to take in the view before they moved on. She produced her camera from the top of her trunk and began taking photo after photo of the scenery. As there was no-one else around for miles, Bethany and Lupin decided to have a cup of tea and some cake while they watched the world turn. After nearly an hour sat on the hill, they decided it was probably time to move on.  
  
The fourth journey brought them to just outside the village of Hogsmeade. Bethany had thought it would be nice to walk the final section of the journey, as it was a warm August day and the view was always spectacular. She could see Hogwarts Castle on the hill above the village. As they got nearer to the village, Bethany could make out the shops she had spent so much time in over the years. The sign on the Three Broomsticks pub was obscured by a banner proclaiming "Welcome Hogwarts' Professors!" in large glowing letters. Bethany knew she was home. 


	7. New Professors

Lupin pushed open the door to the pub and wandered into the cool gloom. A now incredibly nervous Bethany followed behind him.  
  
"Ah, our Defence professors have joined us!" came a familiar voice through the darkness. As their eyes adjusted from the brightness of the summer sun outside, Bethany and Lupin began to be able to make out the professors who were already assembled around an assortment of tables.  
  
"Albus, good to see you again." Lupin leant forward to shake the headmaster's hand, while Bethany gave him an affectionate hug. While Albus Dumbledore had always been something of a father figure to Harry, he had only taken on that role with Bethany when she'd become ill all those years ago. She was convinced that if it hadn't been for Albus then she probably wouldn't have survived.  
  
"Sit down, sit down. Madame Rosmerta, two more butterbeers, if you would be so kind."  
  
The new arrivals sat at the nearest table and were presented with a pair of drinks by the barmaid. As Bethany looked around the room she spotted the familiar faces from when she had been a student herself. The almost universally despised Professor Snape was sat next to the headmaster, and Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor, sat on the other side of Albus. The part-giant Hagrid needed a table to himself, while Professors Vector, Sinistra, Sprout and Flitwick were grouped around another table, but that was were Bethany stopped recognising people. The other ten faces in the pub were unknown to Bethany. Obviously not all of them were new that year, however a couple of them looked as uncertain as Bethany felt, so she felt reasonably secure in the knowledge that she wasn't the only first-timer.  
  
"Well," Professor Dumbledore stood up and surveyed his surrounding staff, "I think this is going to be an interesting year for all of us. As some of you already know, this is to be my last year as headmaster of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall will finally be taking over from me in a permanent role. I have every confidence that she will run the school flawlessly, and will possibly be less of a sentimental old fool about the whole affair!  
  
The reason I have organised for us all to meet up a week early is mainly because of the number of new professors we have this year. Obviously, we have the obligatory new Defence Against the Dark Arts professors, except this year we have two. Hopefully at least one of them will last longer than a year without being poisoned, trampled or suffering severe amnesia." A small ripple of laughter went through the pub as Dumbledore's words were no exaggeration of the previous assortment of Defence professors.  
  
"Also this year, we have new professors for Divination and History of Magic, and finally, our last new addition - a second Herbology professor.  
  
Now, because we have four totally new professors as well as one returning, I felt that it would be advisable to give everyone more time to get settled in and accustomed to each other before we added several hundred rampaging teenagers to the equation. It wouldn't do for a professor to be getting lost in between lessons, or failing to get places faster than the students. So this week is, well, it's orientation. But that can all wait until later, as now it's time to eat."  
  
The next hour and a half was spent eating large quantities of pub food, with small amounts of gossip being exchanged at each table. Bethany and Lupin shared their table with Madam Quirke, who had taken over from Madam Pince as librarian three years earlier. She pointed out the professors who had been there last year, most of whom Bethany half remembered from her own school days as distant faces in the past. But one of the new professors was giving Bethany trouble. "I recognise her, I know I do" had almost become a mantra during the meal, and Lupin was beginning to get bored of it.  
  
"If you're so sure you've seen her before why don't you go talk to her? Either that, or stop going on about it Bethy. I'm not sure how long my sanity's going to hold out if you keep muttering that all day."  
  
Bethany turned a slight shade of crimson and murmured an apology at her lunch companions, but the mantra was still rolling around in her brain. Where had she seen that woman before? It wasn't school, even though Bethany had been a loner for the seven years she'd spent here before she had been an observant child and would have remembered such striking features. Part of her brain echoed Lupin's sentiment about sanity, so Bethany pushed this self-inflicted torture out of her thought process and rejoined the conversation at the table.  
  
"Madam Pince finally had enough of children touching the books. It's slightly disturbing that someone can take the job to such a level that it almost creates a nervous breakdown. If she were running the school it would almost have been understandable, but as a librarian.? Albus has warned me that it comes with time, and one day I'll be just as worried about the welfare of the books. But so long as there's a job waiting for me at the Grand Library in New Zealand I think I'll cope!" Orla Quirke was happily talking to Lupin about what had altered in the years since she'd been working there. She had been three years below Bethany and had just missed on being taught by Lupin when he first taught Defence, something Bethany thought might have been a good thing given how Orla was looking at him. Was she feeling. jealousy? After all these years? Bethany quickly shook that thought out of her head, that could be dangerous territory for her to venture into on her first day. If she had to think about it, she was going to wait until she could at least remember all of her students' names.  
  
Orla was still gossiping with Lupin when Bethany had managed to shake that train of thought, although the tales of the last couple of years had given way to speculation about what was to come.  
  
"How's Albus going to work having two professors for Defence and Herbology? I'm actually curious about Professor Sprout, it has to be said. Bringing in two new professors together makes some sense, but bringing in a new professor to teach alongside an existing one seems a bit strange to me."  
  
"Maybe it's getting too much for Professor Sprout?" Bethany suggested. "And they've got in someone to help out with the work load. Or maybe she's planning on leaving but doesn't want to leave without knowing that her successor knows how it's been done up until know?"  
  
"Or maybe Dumbledore has his own reasons for getting a second person who knows their plants in the school. Whatever it is he'll tell us soon enough." Lupin managed to put his usual wet blanket over the gossiping, earning him a gentle clip around the ear from Bethany while she scolded him for spoiling their fun. This time it was Orla's turn to look at the pair in front of her and be unsure as to her feelings. Had Dumbledore brought in a couple to teach the same subject? Or were they merely close friends? It wasn't as much that she knew him well enough to know that she wanted to get closer to him, but she was certain that she didn't want that option taken away from her.  
  
When lunch had been finished and all members of the faculty were feeling nicely full, Dumbledore stood up again. "I think the plans for the rest of today should be settling in. As this is to be everyone's home for the next nine months I always feel it's important to be well settled before attempting anything else. But the only thing that needs settling right now is lunch. Perhaps a few games of exploding snap would aid our digestion?" And with a small wave of his hand several decks of cards appeared, ready for the over-full staff to while away the next hour. 


	8. Introductions

After several games of noisy exploding snap, the staff gathered themselves together and started to walk up to the Hogwarts' castle. Bethany watched the castle getting larger with such fascination that it was difficult to believe she had lived there for seven years. This was her home, this was where she belonged. Turning to smile at Lupin she realised that he must be feeling the same as her, his eyes were firmly fixed on the castle and there was a slight smile across his face. Bethany looked back to the castle without saying anything to disturb Lupin's train of thought.  
  
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" boomed Dumbledore as they entered the through the large wooden doors. "Luggage has already been taken to your rooms. Previous staff are free to go and unpack; new professors to follow me please."  
  
Bethany, Lupin and the three other new professors followed Dumbledore up to his office. The stone gargoyle jumped out of the way when Dumbledore announced "Humbug", revealing a moving spiral staircase. The six of them stepped onto the magical stairs and at the top stepped into Dumbledore's office. The large room was filled with paintings of previous headmasters and headmistresses, the majority of whom were snoring contentedly, although some looked at the newcomers with interest.  
  
Dumbledore gave a small flick of his wand and produced five chairs for his professors. "I'm glad that you all made it to the school without incidence, and I hope that you will all have long and happy careers here. The other professors are used to the routine of getting things ready for the arrival of the students, but other than Remus here, none of you have taught before. As I said in the Three Broomsticks, the purpose of this week is ensure that you are familiar with your surroundings, your collegues and proceedures. During the next week lesson plans for the coming year need to be prepared, all equipment must be checked and anything that you require that is not available in the school must be ordered in.  
  
"In a moment I will take you to your quarters for the next year, but first I shall do the introductions. The other staff are already aware of who each of you are and what you shall be teaching, but you probably have little idea as to who each other are. This gentleman here is Remus Lupin, and the young lady to his right is Bethany Wilson. They are the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professors. Next to Miss Wilson is Elizabeth Woodcroft, our new History of Magic professor," the middle-aged woman gave a nervous smile to the others who were now staring at her. "Taking over divination this year is Morgen Halla, and finally, the young lady at the end is going to be teaching Herbology with Professor Sprout, Lilith Aculeus."  
  
Bethany's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Lilith, from the Apothecary shop in Knockturn Alley. She knew she'd recognised her form somewhere, but it hadn't occurred to her that it was merely from shopping. Without her goggles and with a scarf over her head it was almost difficult to identify her with the almost scary looking shop assistant.  
  
Lilith flashed a grin around the room and gave a little wave. "I think a couple of you might have met me before in my father's shop in Knockturn Alley. And I know that Hagrid was the reason we introduced a loyalty card!" Any nerves or surprise that were in the room were dispelled, and Dumbledore continued his speech. "There are rooms to be allocated still. The house elves have prepared the rooms, but there has been no decision made over who receives which room – I always feel that's something best left to the individual. That is to be the first requirement for today. After that there are secret passages for you to explore, passwords to learn, and portraits to meet. Advice on handling Peeves and the other resident ghosts will also be given this week.  
  
But for now, the rooms..."  
  
And with that Dumbledore rose out of his chair and lead his new professors back down the spiral staircase. 


End file.
